Kayla Harrison wins first U.S. gold in judo

Kayla Harrison topped Britain’s Gemma Gibbons in the final of the 78-kg judo competition Thursday afternoon, becoming the first American to ever win Olympic judo gold.

Kayla Harrison (right) needed only two Yukos to take down Gemma Gibbons. (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Fighting in her home country, Gibbons had loud and raucous support behind her, but it wasn’t enough. Harrison received one point early, and the two judokas went back and forth until Harrison took down Gibbons and scored once more with barely one minute remaining in the fight.

Harrison was able to play it safe the final 60 seconds, pointing to supporters in the crowd shortly after time expired. After hugging her opponent, she sprinted off the mat and fell into the arms of her coach, Jimmy Pedro, as David Bowie’s “Heroes” played throughout the arena.

Rick MaeseRick Maese is a sports features writer for The Washington Post. He has written about the NFL since joining The Post in 2009, including three seasons as beat writer for the Washington Redskins. Follow